Embrace

Everyone has a favorite - and least favorite - season. I am a summer baby who relishes sun and heat. I admit, I used to dread Spring. It signaled a time to start shedding layers and show off some skin. As a younger women, I felt insecure in my body. There was also a bittersweet sadness as one cycle ended and a new one began. But, after having spent a few seasons on my mom's farm, I have grown to love and revere this exquisite turning of the planet. The more I accept the change, the less I struggle to adapt. I see Spring now as a new beginning full of hope and promise, always excited to see the baby buds and processional of colors. Even the animals start to get frisky.

Seasons are not just found in the flora and fauna around us. To be fully whole and integrated, we must learn to embrace all our seasons. When we reject a season, it means we are rejecting or subverting part of our own nature -- maybe it's uncomfortable feelings that arise when Winter requires us to sit still and go inward. Or maybe we prefer to cocoon ourselves rather that put ourselves out on a limb when the fruit is in full bloom. Rather than resist the sweet, salty, savory and sometimes uncomfortable flavors of the season, find beauty in those darker or brighter places. See what magic it holds.